[A case of occipital lobe epilepsy following cerebral infarction]

We report a rare case of occipital lobe epilepsy following cerebral infarction in bilateral occipital lobes. The patient is a seventeen-year-old female, who had cerebral infarction in bilateral occipital regions a few days after an open-heart surgery at 15 years of age. Thereafter she sometimes complained of visual field defects and ictal amaurosis. Seventeen months later, she developed a tonic seizure with ictal amaurosis, visual field defects and head deviation. On admission, results of the neurological examinations were all normal with the exception of peripheral visual field defects. Scalp electroencephalographic (EEG) findings showed paroxysmal discharges that were more prominent in the frontal to parietal leads than in the occipital leads. Sometimes the laterality of paroxysmal discharges changed. Her visual defects were diagnosed as psychogenic activity by the ophthalmological visual fields test. Simultaneous recordings of pattern reversal visual evoked potential (VEP) and electroretinograms (ERG) showed normal in 15 minute checks, but prolongation of bilateral P100 latency in 30 minute checks. These findings suggested that peripheral visual fields were disturbed. In this case, EEG findings and the initial symptoms of amaurosis and visual fields defect suggested occipital epilepsy following cerebral infarction in bilateral occipital lobes. We wish to emphasize that simultaneous VEP and ERG recording is a useful diagnostic tool for estimating visual functions.